All this works just as you'd expect. Want to play a folder full of files? Just drag and drop them onto XMPlay. You need to stop playback part way through and go do something else? Just close XMPlay; it'll remember the playlist and carry on where you left off when the program next restarts.

It's just as easy to stream audio from FTP or HTTP servers (including Shoutcast, Icecast and Icecast2). The program can more informally scan FTP and HTTP directories, looking for playable files. And local copies can be made of whatever it's streaming.

If the audio isn't quite up to your standards then you can tweak it with XMPlay's 9-band equaliser and reverb control. The program maintains a library of your favourite tracks for easy access later. There's built-in visualisation, plenty of alternative skins for you to download and try, and if you don't like how some aspect of XMPlay works, then you can probably change it via the extremely in-depth Settings dialog.

Version 3.8.1 adds:
- Loading of different settings from multiple saved sets
- Optional random bias for tracks that were last played longer ago
- A subsong number title formatting option
- Extraction of tracks from archives to separate files
- Per-track overriding of removal after playback option
- Upmixing to quad speaker output
- A few new shortcuts.

Verdict

A capable audio player which comes packed with features, and can be further extended (if you feel the need) with a raft of powerful plugins.